Aug 13, 2013
RUIDOSO, N.M. — The University of New Mexico football team sprung a surprise visit on roughly 50 children at the Sierra Blanca Boys and Girls Club Monday afternoon, holding a not-too-serious football clinic highlighted by face paint, laughter and a little bit of hustle, too.
Quarterbacks Cole Gautsche, Quinton McCown, Lamar Jordan and Caleb Kimbro, offensive linemen Garrett Adcock and Bryan Oldenkamp, linebacker Trajuan Briggs and tight end Andrew Aho volunteered for the two-hour visit, spurning an afternoon off after Monday morning’s training-camp practice.
“I love doing stuff like this,” Oldenkamp said. “It just makes you feel good. Plus, the kids are always a blast.”
The Lobos organized a warm-up drill similar to the one they commonly use to open their practice inside the former Ruidoso Middle School gym, then broke off into four stations, each teaching a different position skill. Each station also contained touchdown celebrations, causing eruptions of laughter from kids and Lobos alike after each dance.
Boys and Girls Club executive director Tim Coughlin said the kids enjoyed the out-of-the-blue visit.
“The kids were excited to even see them and talk to them,” Coughlin said. “It’s kind of like seeing a movie star. They didn’t even know it was going to happen, so for them it was a big surprise.”
After the mini-football clinic, the Lobos joined the kids in a game room, playing video games, pinball and board games with their new friends.
“It was a great experience. It was really positive,” Briggs said. “The kids had a lot of fun and, at the end of the day, that’s what really counts.”
The Sierra Blanca Boys and Girls Club opened in March of 2012, with nearly 450 members, or about 14 percent of the youth in Lincoln County, according to Coughlin. During the school year, the club sees 130-150 kids come through its doors daily.
“A visit like this gives (the kids) a little bit of a sense of what it’s like to be on a football team and have that dedication when working toward a goal,” Coughlin said.